The Chairman's space blade carved through rotting flesh as another wave of undead crashed against him. Dozens of corpses fell, only for more to claw their way from the earth.

"Is that all you have?" The Immortal King's voice echoed across the battlefield. He stood atop a raised platform of bones, arms spread wide. "I expected more from humanity's 'strongest'."

The Chairman didn't respond. He surged forward, cutting a path through the horde. Bodies piled around him, but for every ten he felled, twenty more rose to take their place. The Immortal King simply laughed, waving his hand lazily.

The ground trembled as skeletal hands burst through the soil.

"Don't tire yourself out so quickly!" the Immortal King called out. "We've only just begun after all!"

The undead pressed in from all sides, forming a tightening circle around the chairman.

The Chairman's breath came much harder now. He had already been doing this for a while now and the undead didn't seem to be running out any time soon. Just what kind of mana did this guy have? Was he really A rank just like him? He wondered.

At that time, a massive shockwave rippled through the ground.

The undead surrounding him launched into the air, their formation shattered. The Chairman spun around to see Draven, fists still pressed against the earth, cracks spider-webbing outward from the impact point.

"You don't look so good, Chairman," Draven said.

Orion streaked past in a blur, his blade dismantling every airborne undead in a single sweep.

He landed smoothly beside the Chairman, sheathing his sword.

Elaine descended on the other side, her feet touching down gently. A warm golden aura bloomed from her, washing over the Chairman. His wounds closed, his breathing steadied, and the fatigue lifted.

The Immortal King clicked his tongue, his expression twisting with annoyance. "Tch. Useless trash?"

"How's the situation?" Elaine asked.

"Not good. There are too many of them," the Chairman said, his eyes still locked on the Immortal King. "But now that you guys are here, it should be doable."

"Do you think you can handle it without me?" she asked.

"I don't know about that. Are you out of mana? You can take a rest - Victoria is here," he said.

"No, I'm worried about the captives. They might be in bad condition," she said.

"You're right. There's no way these cultists could have taken proper care of the civilians." He paused, deflecting a skeletal claw that lunged at him. "Go join up with Cipher's team and help them if they need it."

"Alright, Chairman." She saluted before launching into the air, golden light trailing behind her as she flew toward the cave.

The Immortal King's eyes tracked her movement. He waved his hand, causing a dozen winged undead to burst from the ground and shoot toward Elaine.

The Chairman's hand flashed out. A space blade materializing in the air and slicing through the pursuers in a single stroke.

"Everyone, focus on clearing the undead!" the Chairman shouted, already rising into the air. "Victoria, coordinate with the other supports!" He shot forward, his body accelerating toward the Immortal King. "Vex, Draven, Orion - on me! Let's end this!"

…

Cipher observed the statue before him.

It really did look just like Elaine. But something felt strange, as though his vision was...

"Wait, vision?" Cipher opened his cheat menu and disabled True Sight. Once he turned it off, his vision finally felt normal. He looked at the statue again, but this time it was different. The statue now appeared to be that of a young woman, though he could still notice some similarities to Elaine.

He didn't understand what was going on. Was the statue really based on Elaine? He had always suspected she was scheming, but he'd never expected her to actually be connected to the cult.

He activated appraisal.

[Name: Elara]

[Level: 1]

[Rank: F]

[Species: Demi-God]

[Class: Saintess]

[Status: Cursed]

[Health: 100/100]

[Mana: 10/10]

[Strength: 1]

[Stamina: 1]

[Agility: 1]

[Intelligence: 1]

[Skills: Resurrection (SSS)]

[Unique Skill: Lord Of Darkness (Transcendent)]

[Type: Passive]

[Description: Authority of the god of death. Cannot die.]

"What the hell?" he muttered.

At that instant, he heard movement from the cave entrance and spun around. In the entrance stood Elaine, walking toward him. Cipher immediately summoned his rifle and fired at the ground right next to her feet, making her stop.

"Hands where I can see them," he ordered. "And no funny business, unless you want to test how good my aim is."

She raised her hands. "Cipher, what is the meaning of this?"

"Don't play games with me. Who are you?" he demanded.

"What do you mean? I'm Elaine. You know, the head of the association's alchemy and medicine branch," she said. "Did you fall for a mental attack? I'll heal you. I have a mind protection skill…" She began lifting her leg to step forward, but Cipher didn't give her the chance. He fired next to her foot.

"I said no funny business. Don't test my patience," Cipher said, forcing her to remain still. "And stop using that charm skill of yours, it won't work on me."

Good thing I got charm resistance, Cipher thought.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Cipher, put the gun down and listen to me. It's not what you think. Using a mental attack on someone under mind control can override the mind control…"

"I don't care about your use of charm. What is your relationship with Elara?" he asked.

Elaine froze in shock. "H-h-how do you know that name?"

"I'm an appraiser, remember?" he said, stepping to the side and revealing the statue behind him.

"Sister? No!" she shouted and ran forward, but Cipher shot her leg. She collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain as her leg regenerated. He charged toward her and stepped on her stomach, pressing the barrel of his gun against her forehead.

"I said no funny business. I won't tell you this again. Start talking. What is your relationship with that statue?" he asked, his expression dark with anger.

[Aren't you getting a bit too worked up?] the Heavenly Demon asked.

"That Elara has a skill that can resurrect people from the dead," Cipher said through gritted teeth. "I'm certain it's what the Immortal King used to revive and terrorize people in the future. Do you know how many people the Immortal King killed? Nearly a billion. A billion lives lost because of that monster. If she has any connection to him..."

He turned his glare back to Elaine, pressing the gun harder against her forehead. "What are you waiting for? Get to talking."

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